Twisted Reality
by Unstable Firestarter
Summary: When a normal teenage girl is mysteriously dragged into the Advent Children world, she finds herself at the mercy of the three Remnants. Will her stay with them be miserable, or will she become a part of their 'family? Kadaj/OC.
1. Not Dreaming

Summary: When a normal teenage girl is mysteriously dragged into the Advent Children world, she finds herself at the mercy of the three Remnants. Will her stay with them be miserable, or will she become a part of their 'family'? And will she ever get home?

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own anything Final Fantasy.

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**Chapter One "Not Dreaming"**

It was a day like any other, bordering on boring and sixteen year old Lexi lay back on her bed with a contented sigh, gazing up at the ceiling. She had just finished watching her new favorite movie _Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children_. She'd bought the DVD the day it had come out and had seen it nearly ten times by now, more than enough to have memorized all her favorite characters' lines and such. She closed her eyes as a silly, smitten smirk played over her face. She was thinking of her two most favorite characters; Kadaj and Yazoo. She could spend all day just thinking about them, and she usually did. Sometimes when she was bored, like now, she wondered what she would do if she ever met them-if that ever became possible, which she knew it wouldn't, but it was fun to dream. She thought she'd pass out first-seriously, just from surprise. She laughed a little to herself, raising a hand to push her long blonde hair back from her face. After passing out, and then waking up of course, she wasn't sure what she would do, she couldn't really imagine it that well, considering the fact that she knew it was impossible.

She sighed a little, frowning. She wished things like that could truly happen; the real world was so boring, she'd rather live in a fantasy world. Any one of them, just so long as there was magic-and plenty of hot guys. She stifled a yawn, rolling over onto her side and curling one arm beneath her head. Maybe she'd just take a nap for now, worry about what to do with the rest of her boring day when she woke up-watch AC again? If she dreamed, she knew who she would dream about, and that brought a small smile to her face that faded as she slowly drifted to sleep.

"Hey you, I'm talking to you."

She stirred a little, muttering that she wanted to be left alone. Who was it, Nick, her brother? He was interrupting her dream, and why did he have to be so rude all of the time? He nudged her in the back and she sighed, moved to roll over to bury her face in her pillow, but found there was no pillow there. She frowned; had Nick taken it for some reason? Why did he always have to bother her? But than she realized that her bed felt awfully hard, and lumpy, like she was sleeping…on the ground. With rocks. This strange notion jolted her more awake.

"Are you deaf, or what?"

She frowned; that definitely wasn't her brother's voice, it was too low, dangerous. And annoyed. She was almost afraid to open her eyes, her mind logically wondering if some one had broken into the house and it was a robber talking to her. She received a kick in the back and yelped, her eyes snapping open. She sat up too quickly and made herself dizzy. The first thing she noticed was that she was outside, on a plain or a cliff or something like that. The second thing she noticed was the _guy_ crouched in front of her. Piercing blue-green animal's eyes glared at her from behind a veil of shoulder length silver hair. The face was young, around her age, no one she knew but oh-so-familiar to her. She swallowed hard, swearing to herself that she must be dreaming.

"What are you doing here? Answer me!" he demanded impatiently.

He started to reach out a hand towards her and she scrambled backwards, not getting far before she hit something solid. Without turning her head, she felt behind her blindly. Her fingers came across a pair of boots and she froze. Swallowing hard again, she slowly tilted her head to look up. Another pair of feline eyes were gazing down at her, vividly more green than blue. The owner of these breath taking eyes tilted his head to the side, long silver hair half falling across his angelic face.

"You've scared her, Kadaj," he said in his soft velvet voice that always seemed to be calm, and yet also cold.

No, no; it was impossible! She had to be dreaming, right? This was all some crazy dream and any minute her brother was going to wake her up. But for the moment it seemed real enough to her. She turned, awkwardly scrambling to her feet. She started to run, but suddenly a pair of hands came down on her shoulders, stopping her. It was the third brother, tall and strong and intimidating. He gazed at her with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. She stumbled back a few steps and he didn't stop her from doing that. She started to turn to run in another direction-any direction, but an arm caught her around the waist, stopping her-and right than she could have _died_.

"Don't fret, it's alright," his velvet voice was right next to her ear, his breath tickling her skin and sending a wave of shivers down her spine. Easy for him to say!

She struggled, and he put his other arm around her, holding her arms to her sides and pinning her to his chest. She only continued struggling for another couple of seconds, finding it useless against his strength. Her heart was pounding about a hundred miles an hour, and it was slowly beginning to occur to her that maybe she wasn't dreaming after all. She watched the youngest brother rise some what majestically, more than a little wary of him, of all of them.

"Now. Are you going to answer my question?" he asked her.

At first, she found she had no voice to speak, and swallowed nervously. "I…I don't know where _h-here_ is," she said after a moment, her voice shaking a little.

He narrowed his eyes, regarding her with renewed annoyance. "How can you not know where you are?" He waved a gloved hand, gesturing to the land around them, "The Midgar Plains."

But…that couldn't be! Than that would mean…she had to be dreaming…a really realistic dream; she couldn't be standing here with... She shook her head a little, "T-that's imp-possible," she managed, blinking her golden brown eyes in surprise.

"And just _how_ is that impossible?" he inquired, taking a step towards her.

She would've shrank back if she'd had anywhere to go, "It's…I…" she started pathetically, not knowing what to say, what she could say.

"Speak up girl!" he said, taking another step towards her.

She trembled, floundering for words and finding none.

"Kadaj, you're scaring her again," he actually sounded a little amused though, she thought.

"I don't care, brother," Kadaj said, a bit of a growl to his voice.

"But she won't speak if you keep frightening her," he pointed out.

Kadaj gazed from her to his brother for a moment. "Pathetic girl," he growled softly, whirling and pacing a little.

She watched him for a moment, still trembling and her heart still racing. If she weren't so scared, she would've been insulted by his comment. How had this happened? How in the world had she ended up here, if she wasn't dreaming? And how was she going to get back? It was the last thought that really scared her; that if she wasn't dreaming, what if she was trapped here, would she ever get home? Suddenly living in a fantasy world didn't seem all that spectacular. The middle brother's velvet voice broke her from her thoughts.

"What _are_ you doing here?" he asked.

"I…I don't know…honestly…" she replied, lowering her head a little as she fought back sudden tears of fear.

After a moment more, he released her, and she took a few steps away, turning. She backed up a few more steps until she bumped into a large boulder and leaned against it. She didn't trust her weak legs to support her for the moment. She regarded the other two warily for a minute before returning her gaze to him. He tilted his head to the side as he gazed at her, and she felt like he was studying her. His intense gaze also made her feel a little uncomfortable-but not like when Kadaj had been glaring at her.

"Do you know your name?" he inquired.

She gazed at him for a moment, trying to decide if he meant that sarcastically or just playfully. "It's Lexi," she said, glad that she managed to say _that_ without stuttering.

"My name is Yazoo," he said, taking a step towards her and stretching out a hand.

Of course she already knew this, she knew a lot about them that they didn't know she did, but she wasn't about to tell them that. She didn't want to face the consequences of any harsh actions. She merely gazed at him, not moving. She was too nervous to have anyway if she'd wanted to. He tilted his head to the other side, brow furrowing as a brief look of annoyance passed through his eyes. He dropped his hand back down to his side, stepping away. She was suddenly worried that she had offended him without meaning to.

"Well, Lexi," Kadaj said, turning back to her, "It seems as though you're going to be spending some with us until you do know."

It took her a moment to understand that he was referring to her earlier comments about her not knowing what she was doing here. She suddenly wondered if she'd just 'appeared' here, or if they'd found her. Her more immediate concern was with what exactly he meant.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked.

"You don't seem to know much at all," Kadaj said, striding towards her.

She backed up, almost tripping over the boulder she'd been leaning on, and he caught her by the wrist, preventing her escape.

"I meant exactly what I said," he continued, and she wondered what she'd done this time to annoy him again. Or maybe he was just in a bad mood.

He jerked her aside, out of his way, and she stumbled a little until Yazoo caught her by the shoulders.

"Yazoo, since you're so fond of this girl, you can baby-sit her," Kadaj said.

"I am not-" Yazoo started, annoyance flickering over his features and evident in his voice. He stopped at the look his brother gave him. "Fine."

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A/N: Well, there's chapter one. I think I would've passed out by now if that was really me-and Lexi is kind of based on myself-but anyhow, reviews anyone? eagerly waits Reviews make me happy and make me update faster :)


	2. Kidnapped

A/N: Wow, so many nice reviews : ) -Is happy now- I hope this chapter is just as good. BTW, what does the term Mary Sue mean? That confuses me to no end! And a special thanks to Pickles, I'm so happy you like my other fics as well : )

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**Chapter Two "Kidnapped"**

Lexi sat with her back against a tree, hugging her knees to her chest as she gazed around. They'd taken her to the Forgotten Capital, their base in the Sleeping Forest. The Forest truly was beautiful, the trees all white and nearly glowing, the grass so lush. She shivered a little, bowing her head to rest her forehead on her knees, and closed her eyes. She never imagined that it would be like this, that she would be so scared. Right now it seemed so much more fun to just dream. If she wasn't dreaming already. She could hear them arguing, their voices too soft for her to be able to tell what they were saying. Maybe it had something to do with her, maybe it didn't.

Maybe if she got away, got back to where she had woken up here, she could get back home. But she didn't really know, she was just guessing, supposing. Thinking. Raising her head, she gazed over at the three brothers, standing in front of the Forgotten Capital. None of them were facing her, and none of them seemed to be paying her any attention for the moment. Maybe now was her chance. Her chance to do what? If her escape idea failed, they'd be angry at her. But maybe she wouldn't get caught; she always had to be hopeful. Cautiously she rose to her feet, careful to be as quiet as possible. Continuing to watch them, she backed into the trees, as far as she dared without risking tripping over something. Than she turned and ran, dodging around bushes or leaping over them. She didn't know how much noise she made; her heart was pounding in her ears. She hadn't made it very far-at least she didn't think she had-before a blow was dealt to her back and she fell. She rolled awkwardly, one elbow scraping against a tree.

"Just _where_ do you think you're going?"

She knew the voice before she looked up. Kadaj stood over her, one foot on either side of her hips, tip of his double bladed sword under her chin. There was angry annoyance in his eyes and the expression scared her. She trembled a little, tears coming to her eyes and blurring her vision for a moment as she tried to speak.

"I…I…nowhere…" she muttered, looking away. Maybe it was better that she didn't keep insisting she wasn't from here.

"That's right," he said. He lowered his sword to his side, reaching down and grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. He dragged her to her feet, "You're nothing but trouble." He took her by the arm and dragged her back through the Forest to the Forgotten Capital, where the other two were.

She started to protest angrily at how rough he was, but he threw her down at Yazoo's feet.

"Keep a better watch over her," Kadaj said to him before walking away.

Lexi drew her legs up and rested her head on her knees, hiding her face. Her elbow stung and she thought that it was bleeding. So much for her escape idea. Why was Kadaj always so annoyed with her? Why did he seem to want nothing to do with her? She hadn't been here long at all, but it was in his expression every time he looked at her. She could feel Yazoo's presence beside her, but still didn't move. Not until he lifted her arm and she felt his tongue, as velvet as his voice, against her skin. She jerked her head up, turning her gaze to him. She hoped her eyes weren't as wide as she thought they were as she watched him lick the blood from her elbow. His movements were quick, delicate, like a cat, and it was either the sexiest thing, or the scariest. She was undecided, somewhere in between the two. When he was done, he lifted his haunting gaze to her face, and she found herself utterly speechless.

"You shouldn't have tried to run," he said to her, his voice even softer than usual, "You don't want to make Kadaj angry."

"Well, it s-seems that he was a-already angry," she said.

"Only because of you," Loz said.

She shifted her gaze over to him for a second. It was the first time he'd spoken to her.

"I don't _want_ to hurt you," Yazoo said, his voice low, "But if you attempt to run again…" he let the threat hang and she tried to pull her arm away from him, but he didn't let go. "Do you understand?"

She nodded mutely, drawing back a little, as much as she could.

"Good," he said, letting her arm slide from his grip.

She scooted away a little, blinking her hair out of her eyes.

"So…where are you from?" Loz asked.

"Some place you wouldn't know," Lexi replied nervously, shaking her head slowly.

"Oh really?" Yazoo inquired.

She gazed at him warily for a second. "Ever heard of Florida?"

He seemed to consider this for a moment. "No."

"Than forget about it," she said with a sigh, linking her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees.

"If you are from so far away, how did you end up here?" He reached out a hand towards her and she forced herself not to flinch away like she almost did. He moved her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He trailed his palm down her cheek before drawing back and a shiver ran down her spine.

"T-that's what I want to know," she said.

"You really don't know?" Loz said, brow furrowing.

"For the last time; _no_," she said. She felt like an insect in a glass jar, and they were studying her.

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She sat with her back against the wall, curled up as tight as she could, shivering a little. She was cold; she wished she had a jacket. She should have been asleep to begin with, but she found herself unable to. Her gaze traveled once again around the room, inside the Forgotten Capital, still taking in its eerie beauty, before coming to rest on the three brothers. Watching them sleep, she thought how peaceful they looked, not like warriors or murderers. _And_ they didn't seem cold. The thought made her shiver again. Kadaj sighed softly in his sleep, rolling over closer to his brothers. Yazoo slept with his head on his eldest brother's chest, Loz's arm across his shoulders.

Lexi slipped down a little to lie on her side, hugging her knees to her chest. If she was dreaming, which she was slowly thinking less and less that she was, she wondered when she would wake up. _'You're not going to wake up, because you're not dreaming stupid, and you're stuck here,' _she said to herself. Her eyes began to flutter closed, but she forced them back open. She felt uncomfortable about going to sleep, and she knew why. Her eyes fluttered again, and it was harder to keep them open. She stifled a yawn, shaking her head a little in an attempt to keep herself awake. It didn't work for long. She felt her eyes sliding closed, as heavy as if sand bags were tied to them, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep them open. The calm darkness of peace over took her into its depths.


	3. Play

A/N: Wow, thank you for all the nice reviews : ) I hate perfect people anyway, so if any of my characters ever 'seem' perfect, it's only by a terrible mistake. I hope this chapter continues to please : )

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**Chapter Three "Play"**

Lexi couldn't say just how she knew it was morning, or that the shadow that crossed her face was one of the silver haired brothers, but she did. She opened her eyes and gave a start of surprise to see Yazoo crouched in front of her, reaching one hand towards her. The gesture seemed harmless, but startled her nonetheless and caused her to draw back, hitting her head on the wall with a resounding thunk. This in turn caused her to wince, at the same time sitting up.

"You scare so easily," he said, tilting his head to the side.

"If you weren't so threatening all the time," she said with a scowl, her momentary bravery coming from the fact that she'd just awoken.

Her moment of bravery lasted until her gaze swept around the room, and she didn't see the other two. Upon listening, she didn't hear any other noises either. She frowned a little. Did that mean…it was just the two of them here? That thought both thrilled and frightened her. She cast her gaze around once more to make sure that she wasn't wrong before returning her attention to him.

"They've gone out to the city, Edge," he said, catching her puzzled expression.

"Oh," she said softly.

Her heart skipped a little as he sat down beside her. He didn't seem so threatening now, in fact, he seemed almost bored. There was a long moment of silence, her unable to think of anything to say. Anything that wouldn't probably annoy him, anyway. Lots of stupid things, stupid questions, came to her mind, but she forced them away, rubbing the back of her head a little.

"What is it like…where you're from?" he said at last, breaking the silence.

A little surprised, she actually had to think for a moment before managing to compose her thoughts. "It's…alright." She started slowly, a little cautiously, "Weather's too hot. Storms are too violent." She shrugged a little, "But its home."

"Home," he repeated. "Do you have a family?... Parents, siblings?"

"Yeah," she said after a moment, "Mom, Dad, and a brother who annoys the hell outta me." Casting a side wards glance over at him, she thought she saw his lips curve in a sad smirk, but she wasn't sure; the expression was so fleeting.

"Your mother must be worried about you, so far from home," he said somewhat bitterly.

"Yeah…" she said softly, gazing down at the floor, "She probably is."

"Do you miss them?" he asked.

At the tone of his voice she looked over at him, but he was gazing away, at some point across the room. "Yeah," she replied.

"I have never known any family besides my brothers," he said, "I don't _have_ any family besides them."

Blinking, she didn't know what to say to this, and so said nothing. It wasn't that this was any surprise to her, it was just the way he said it; so sadly, almost.

"And they won't be back for so long," Yazoo said, so softly that she almost didn't hear him, obviously talking to himself. Then he looked over at her, trailing one finger down the side of her face.

She didn't draw back, but shivered a little.

"Why are you frightened of me?" he asked her.

"Besides the f-fact that you kidnapped me? And threatened me?" she said, some what nervous again.

"That was Kadaj's doing," he said.

Ok, that was true. "But you did threaten me," she said again.

"And didn't you listen?" he pointed out, his voice low.

"O-obviously," she said. He was gazing at her so intently, and it was making her a little nervous.

He leaned closer to her, and before she realized what he was about to do, he kissed her. She hadn't been expecting this at all, and so it caught her completely off guard, sending her heart leaping into her throat. Despite her surprise, she didn't push him away, even tentatively started to kiss him back. He pulled her a little closer, and for the moment, she let him. It was a soft kiss that he soon broke to lay another on her jaw line, light as a feather. He kissed the side of her neck, bit her lightly, than not so lightly, and she found out just how sharp his teeth were. With a small cry, she pushed him away, and he complied, bowing his head a little. Her heart racing, she raised a hand to her stinging neck.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, raising his head a little to gaze at her from behind silver locks. "Forgive me?"

The way he said it made her want to say yes, but she wasn't so sure she should. Her voice betrayed her though, "I guess…" she said, lowering her hand. She hoped the thoughts running through her mind weren't evident in her eyes, but she supposed they were from the way he looked at her.

He leaned in to kiss her again, and once more she let him; she couldn't bring herself to stop him, even though she trembled.

"I promise," he whispered, lips against her skin as he slid an arm around her shoulders, "That I'll be gentle."

It took a second for the full implication of this to dawn on her, and when it did; she was seized by sudden fear, overwhelming her. "But I-" she started.

"Shh, you'll be fine with me," he said, more of a purr.

He seemed to understand what she had meant, but that didn't ease her fear.

She shook her head, "But-" she started again.

He raised a hand to her face, "It will be alright, I promise," he said softly, his voice more velvety and compelling than before.

She guessed her unease still showed in her expression, because he added, "But you have to trust me."

She didn't know if she could do that just yet, but she wondered if she really had a choice. If he wanted something, how was she supposed to stop him? And she had to admit to herself that she wasn't all that unwilling, just afraid. She closed her eyes.

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They had ended up in one of the upstairs rooms, a tower room, with the ceiling all swirled and seashell like. And it was here that things went wrong for the second time that morning. She suddenly pushed him away, tried to squirm out from beneath him.

"I…I can't," she said.

He frowned, "What's wrong?"

"I just…I just can't," she was stuttering again as she pushed away from him. Her back hit the wall and she drew her bare knees up to her chest.

"It's alright if you're scared," he said softly, kneeling beside her and moving her hair back from her face.

She shook her head, refusing to give him any kind of answer.

Suddenly the sound of motorcycles reached them both and he looked up, to the window.

"Shit," he cursed with a soft growl of annoyance.

She watched him mutely as he retrieved his pants, and it was only when he'd quickly descended the spiraled stairs to the main room, where he'd left his coat, gloves and boots, that she moved. She shrugged into her own cloths faster than she'd have thought humanly possible before, and curled up into a ball by the window, gazing out at the forest with slightly blank eyes. She could hear their voices from downstairs, level at first, and then an argument started. She thought Loz sounded upset, but after a moment, she stopped paying attention. She rested an elbow on her knee, and leaned her head on her palm, fighting back sudden tears. She felt more scared and alone right now then she had since she'd gotten here-however she actually had. Her blonde hair fell across her face, but she didn't bother to move it. Right now more than anything she wished she were back home, waking up from her nap to hear mom telling her dinner was ready, or something comforting and normal like that. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs, but didn't move. She just hoped it wasn't…

"Hey…are you alright?"

"Didn't know you cared," she replied bitterly to him, tilting her face more towards the window.

She heard him cross the room, pausing a few feet from her before moving a little closer and kneeling beside her. She still didn't move, but was startled when he gently brushed her tears away. She shifted her gaze to him.

"It seems that my brother has upset you," Kadaj said, "Try not to take it personally."

She blinked a couple of times, her vision blurred, "How…?" was all she could manage.

"He likes to play, I doubt he _meant_ to upset you," he said.

"Well, he did," Lexi said, becoming angry with this knowledge. So did he even like her at all…?

Kadaj half raised a hand, as if to rest on her shoulder, but than dropped it back to his side. "He's already getting hell from Loz for this; Loz doesn't like it when Yazoo plays. Without him, anyway."

It took her a few minutes, with how upset she was, to fully understand the meaning of this. She turned her face back towards the window, resting her head on her knees, listening as, after a moment, Kadaj rose and left the room. She wondered who she was angrier with; Yazoo… or herself. Hugging her knees tighter, she squeezed her eyes shut. Trying to calm her breathing, she began to imagine that she was back at home, sitting in her room, and none of _this_ was happening. The vivid envisionment only made her even sadder, and so she let it fade from her mind. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to hold back more tears that threatened to fall.

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It was dark out when she dared come downstairs, and then it was only because that Kadaj asked her to. If Loz and Yazoo had been arguing before, they seemed to have made up now, and were sitting together, talking quietly. Yazoo looked over at her with his haunting eyes, and she met his gaze for the briefest of seconds before looking away again. She wasn't sure how she felt towards him now, and until she figured it out, she didn't really want to talk to him.

She had nearly fallen asleep when an idea wormed its way into her mind, and as she watched the three brothers, she began to seriously consider it. But she'd have to be very careful. She decided that she could do it; it was the only way she could find out.


	4. Light Seduction

A/N: wow, I didn't know this fic would be so popular, but I'm soooo glad that you all like it : ) This next chapter is even more unpredictable, and things get interesting…not that they weren't before.

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**Chapter Four "Light Seduction"**

Lexi didn't know how far into the Forest she was, she only knew that she couldn't see the Forgotten Capital anymore and so it must be pretty far. She wasn't walking down the main path, but off to the side of it, and low tree branches kept catching her shirt or her hair, as if they were trying to stop her. She merely pushed the branches out of the way and kept going. She was going to head back to where she'd woken up here, on the cliff, or whatever it had been, on the Midgar Plains. Maybe if she could get there she could get home. She almost tripped over an exposed root when she heard rustling in the brush behind her. Heart racing, she turned, but saw nothing. Not knowing what it could be, she continued forward again, pace faster now.

"You have quite a knack for running away."

Jumping at the sound of his voice, she whirled. Kadaj sat on a low tree branch, watching her.

"And it's really quite annoying," he said.

"I have to get home, I have to get out of here," Lexi said, continuing walking again.

"Is this because of Yazoo?" he inquired.

"It's because of everything," she said.

She only made it another couple of steps before he was right in front of her. She'd never heard him jump down from the tree, or approach her, but he had. Faster than she could blink, he had a hand around her neck and her back was to a tree. She uttered a small noise of surprise, raising her hands.

"I can't allow you to leave," he said.

"What are you going to do, kill me?" The calmness of her own words surprised her, because that was exactly what she feared that he was going to do.

"Before…I would have," Kadaj said after a moment, gazing at her through the silver hair that fell across his face.

"..But now…?" she said softly when he didn't continue, having thought he was.

"There's something about you," he said, narrowing his eyes a little, "And until I figure it out, you cannot leave."

For a second the way he looked at her scared her, but then the expression was gone, replaced with another that she couldn't figure out. After a moment, he released her, but didn't step away. She felt herself blushing a little as he continued to gaze at her, and hoped it didn't show in the dark. She'd expected him to be angry at her, and it'd seemed that he had been…for a few minutes.

"Will you come back with me?" he asked her softly, as if they were surrounded by sleeping spirits he dared not wake.

"Do I have a choice?" she responded just as softly, though she didn't know why.

"No," he said, "But asking seemed better than ordering you to."

"I don't respond well to orders," she said.

She thought she saw a ghost of a smile cross his face. "That makes two of us then," he said, "Come." He started through the woods towards the Forgotten Capital.

"That sounded like an order to me," she said, struggling to match his swift pace.

He tossed a glance back at her over his shoulder that said her humor was starting to test the limits of his patience. "Because it was," he said, and his voice remained even.

"Would you…could you slow down just a little?" she said, nearly tripping over a tree root.

Looking back at her again, Kadaj paused for her to catch up. "I forgot that you are only human," he said.

"Hey! I'm not 'only' anything!" she said indignantly.

He smirked a little, "Forgive me," he said, but his tone was teasing.

"I have enough forgiving to do as it is," she muttered.

They walked the rest of the way back in silence.

When they reached the Capital, she started to head to her solitary corner, as she had the night before, but he stopped her, motioning her over to where he stood besides his sleeping brothers.

"You must be cold," he whispered, so as not to wake them.

She merely stood there, gazing at him warily for a moment, then shifted her gaze to the other two.

"Don't worry about them," he said, catching her unspoken question.

"And you?" she asked softly, not trusting him either. After all, he had kidnapped her.

"Nothing, I swear," he said, holding up his hands in defense, "I don't find the fun in 'playing', like Yazoo does."

She continued to gaze at him for another moment. In all the times she'd imagined about the three, she'd always thought Yazoo would be the one she trusted, or perhaps even Loz, but really, not Kadaj. But she _was_ cold and finally made up her mind. As she started towards him, Loz stirred a little, rolled over, or tried to, and didn't really succeed, with Yazoo laying half on top of him. After a moment, he became still again, and started snoring. Lexi winced a little at the sound; how she was supposed to sleep?

"Kick him," Kadaj whispered, "That'll shut him up."

She gave him a look that suggested he was crazy, and, knowing him, he probably was. She'd put up with the noise.

He smothered a laugh, becoming serious again as she stood beside him.

She still didn't trust him enough to manage to fall asleep with her back to him, so she curled up on her side facing him, one arm beneath her head. He watched her for a few moments in the dark as she settled still to sleep. She bowed her head a little, tucking in her chin, and her forehead came to rest lightly against his shoulder. She didn't bother to move again, and he didn't mind.

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"You're not going to forgive me for a long time, are you?"

She turned to face him, leaning one shoulder on the curved outer wall of the Capital. It was morning, and she had to blink away the glare of the rising sun. "No. I don't even _know_ you really," she said, sighing a little. It _was_ true.

"But that was not stopping you _before_," Yazoo said, seeming somewhat sad.

"That…that was…different…" she said, at least she wasn't really stuttering.

She started to turn away but he stopped her with a light hand on her shoulder.

"I really do care for you, no matter what Kadaj said to you," he said softly.

She stopped. "How do you know that he said anything to me about what happened?" she asked, purposely not meeting his gaze.

Yazoo tilted his head to the side a little, "He's my brother; I know him."

Suddenly, Kadaj cleared his throat loudly and she flinched; she hadn't realized that he was that close.

"Why don't you and Loz go into the city, see what you are able to find out about Mother," he said, but his tone of voice made it clear that it wasn't a suggestion.

Yazoo uttered an annoyed growl but did not question his youngest brother. He cast one last look at Lexi before turning and sweeping past Kadaj.

Lexi gazed after him and didn't move until he and Loz had left. Then she walked over and sat down at the edge of the spring, watching her reflection ripple in the crystal clear water. She sighed, resting her chin on her knees. She wondered how everything could become so complicated so fast. Back home, things had been so easy, aside from school, and _this_ kind of thing never happened. Well, not that she'd been aware of. She started to sigh again, but saw Kadaj's reflection in the water next to her, and turned her head, startled. She hadn't noticed him come up beside her.

She looked over as he sat down cross legged beside her. "How long are you planning on keeping me 'captive," she asked after a moment to break the silence.

He gazed at his own reflection as he responded, "Indefinitely."

She sighed, "I was afraid of that," she muttered.

"Why?" he finally turned his gaze to her, Mako cat's eyes flashing even in the sunlight, "It's not like you even know how to reach your home from here."

That startled her, for it was something she'd never told them and only thought to herself. "H-how do you know that?" she demanded

He looked away, "You were talking in your sleep last night," he said simply.

"Oh, that's just great," she said, exasperated, "What else have I said in my sleep?"

A mischievous, amused smirk curved his lips, "Nothing interesting," he replied.

She could tell from his smirk that he was lying. She blushed a little, wondering what she could have said. "So there was something else. Come on, tell me," she prodded.

"I already told you that it is nothing interesting," he said.

She still didn't believe him. Gazing back down at the spring, a sudden idea hit her, more of an impulse, and she acted upon it before she really thought it through. She dipped her hand in the spring, and lightly splashed Kadaj. For a moment, he just sat there, blinking, and with a bit of growing fear, she saw that his expression was somewhere between stunned and angry. Then he shook the water from his face and hair, gazing at her for a moment. Perhaps he saw the sudden fear in her eyes, because the anger was gone from his expression in a second. She suddenly found herself toppling head first into the spring. Even though it wasn't very deep, only about waist high, she went under for a few moments, and came back up sputtering. It took her a minute to realize that he was laughing. She'd never heard him laugh before; it was a sound somehow as innocent as it was insane, and for a moment she just stood there, pushing her wet hair back from her face and blinking the water out of her eyes.

"You think you're funny, huh?" she said, feeling her previous fear fading away.

She waded through the water towards him, reaching out for his arm, but he leapt to his feet and darted away. She heard a splash behind her and turned to find him standing there. She reached out to push him under, just as he'd done to her, but he grabbed her wrists, stopping her. For a moment, she could see it in his eyes, how young he was, barely older than her. It was as if the façade of the man had melted away, and she was gazing at the boy he really was. He pulled her to him, holding her hands behind his back, and she found herself gazing up at him. He wasn't that much taller than her, but enough that she had to look up.

"You have…such beautiful dark eyes," he said, "It's as if there are bits of the sun itself in them."

She swallowed, unable to say anything. Her heart began to beat faster at the realization of how close they were, and it wasn't because she was afraid. Well, maybe only slightly. He lowered his head until his forehead touched hers, damp silver hair tickling her face. She suddenly found it hard to breathe and for a moment thought she was going to pass out. Thank god she didn't, though. Why was she reacting this way? He was _only_ a really hot guy that she had a crush on. And he was _only_ a psychotic killer who had kidnapped her, and was _only_ obsessed with finding Mother to bring revenge on the Planet that would result in its destruction. Yeah; only.

"But that doesn't mean I'm emotionless," he said softly, startling her from her thoughts.

Her eyes widened, "Were…were you, like, reading my mind?" she managed without stuttering too badly.

A small smile crossed his face, or maybe it was more of a smirk. "_Only_ a little," he said.

She felt her face flush, "Yeah, well, d-don't do that too often, ok?" she mumbled.

"Too often?" Kadaj repeated, "I thought you were running away whenever you could?"

"M-maybe not," she said, averting her eyes a little.

"Oh? And why is that?" he said inquiringly.

She wondered if her face became even redder as she tried to babble out some random excuse. He didn't really listen to her.

"You know," he said, nuzzling her cheek with his nose, "I think I've figured out what it is about you." He seemed to hesitate for a moment. "It's that I like you."

Lexi completely froze at this, forgetting for a moment even to breathe.

He pulled back a little to gaze into her eyes. "That's why I've been so upset. I was afraid that what I felt for you would make me weak. That you would make me weak."

For another moment, she could only blink and remember to breathe. "Y-you…afraid?" she was able to manage finally.

"Everyone fears something," he said simply.

She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. She could just tell, in the sincerity of everything he'd just said to her; he was so different from either of his brothers. Just as crazy, yes, but…more real, more feeling. Maybe that's _why_ he was the way he was. He didn't hide behind mere mysteries, desire and allure like Yazoo. But he was afraid of showing his emotions too openly, like Loz. He wanted to be strong, and that was something she could understand. She, herself was kind of like him, if you put it all the way she just had.

"Now, what about you? How do you feel?" he said it smoothly, but there was a bit of anticipation and even fear in his eyes.

She knew why, and for some reason that made her answer even harder for her to try and say. For a moment, she floundered.

"Don't make me have to steal your answer from your thoughts; I don't think you'll want me knowing everything you're thinking right now," he said lowly, almost more of a purr.

The way he said it made her think that he'd already dipped into her mind. She considered her options for a moment. Feeling brave, she decided on her response. "Go ahead."

For a moment, he seemed surprised that she chose to let him know her thoughts to find his answer, but then the surprise faded and he closed his eyes. She lowered her forehead to his chest, doing the same. And at the same time praying that her brain wouldn't betray her and conjure up the images she'd had in her mind before she fell asleep in her room and ended up here. She wasn't sure who _that_ would be more embarrassing for, but she was guessing for herself.

She wasn't even aware that he'd let go of her wrists after placing her hands on his waist until he slid his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up. She blinked in surprise, and had a split second to think that he _knew_ now how she felt before he was kissing her. It was not at all a hesitant kiss, but it was tender. She let her eyes slip closed again as he tilted his head to the side. Her hands skated up his back to rest near his shoulder blades and she leaned more against him.

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A/N: Is it just me or is it hot in here: ) As for those mental images she mentioned, you know you think them too; those getting-Kadaj-out-of-all-that-damn-leather-he-wears thoughts. At least I know I'm guilty of it, lol. Alright, enough babble.


	5. Encounter

A/N: OMG, I am SO sorry I haven't updated sooner Real life intruded, became more interesting for a while, and I lost the writer's creativity. But now it's back and I promise to continue and maybe complete this fic sometime soon. Thank you for all the lovely reviews I've received I'm so happy. Now, onto writing again. Skips off

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**Chapter Five "Encounter"**

Lexi shivered a little as she sat near the spring. Now that she was soaking wet, she was cold as well. And she knew who to blame. Sitting beside her, Kadaj slid an arm around her shoulders. She cast a side ways glance over at him, poking him in the side.

"Now I'm gonna catch a cold and die and it'll be all your fault," she said lightly, shivering a little again.

"Hush, you will not," he said.

She couldn't really explain why she suddenly felt so much more at ease around him, maybe it was the fact that now they both knew how the other felt, and that automatically lessened her fear. Or maybe it was also the fact that they were still alone; Yazoo and Loz were still out. Whatever the reason, she was glad with the outcome. She felt mostly safe with him…though she still worried about him having a psychotic episode or something and trying to kill her. Then again, she had always been paranoid. But paranoid could be good, life saving, sometimes.

"But I must say you could use some different clothes," Kadaj said.

She pouted a little, for a brief second. "And what is wrong with my clothes?" she asked; "Besides they're soaking wet?" She wore a simple gray tank top, blue jeans and…really…really old sneakers.

"_Besides_ you're always cold, you don't fit with our style," he said.

She blinked. "What?" she said. She was pretty sure she understood him, and was about to utter an indignant comment but he suddenly stood, pulling her up with him.

"Come on," he said.

She didn't have much of a choice, as he was still pulling her with him towards his motorcycle. "What, right now?"

He turned back to her and she stumbled to a sudden stop, falling forward a little against him, which was probably exactly what he intended. "Why not?" he said, brushing a stray lock of hair back from her face.

"Alright," she relented.

How could she argue when he was looking at her like _that_? He lowered his head and gave her a fleeting kiss before turning and striding the rest of the way to his motorcycle. She followed, of course, and slid on behind him, a little wary of his driving as she encircled her arms around his waist. And it turned out she was right to be wary; if she'd thought it'd been bad riding with Yazoo to the Forest, riding with Kadaj was even worse. It wasn't that he was a bad driver; he just drove at break neck speed and took other risks that she would have preferred he didn't. At least when she was with him. So she opted for hanging on tight and closing her eyes.

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Lexi turned again in front of the large mirrors, tilting her head to the side as she considered her reflection. At the time of picking out her new outfit, she hadn't really had much say; Kadaj had picked out something he'd liked and shoved it at her. Now though, he was outside the store, boredly pacing the sidewalk, and she found that she actually _did_ like this outfit, even if she had never worn anything like it in her life, or maybe it was because of it. And if she didn't like it she didn't really have a choice; Kadaj had ditched her old clothes already.

The top was black leather, of course, form fitting with long sleeves. It was almost off the tops of her shoulders, with straps that criss crossed from the back to the front of the modest neckline. The front was laced up, with two buckles across it, and only went midway down her stomach, in the back though it went all the way down to the floor, splitting into two (Think like how Kadaj's coat is). Down the back it was mostly open, with criss crossing strips of leather in an x pattern, with another strap across her lower stomach to hold it in place. The sleeves were long, covering most of her hands except for her fingers, and had various buckles that were merely for show. The rest of the outfit comprised of leather pants and black boots with nearly inch thick soles.

She turned in front of the mirrors again, watching the way the back of the top flared around her legs.

"Is that what you're getting lass?" asked the shop keeper, who had been watching her.

A little startled, she turned to the middle aged woman. "Um, yes," she said, walking over. She began counting out the right amount of Gil to pay for her new outfit. Kadaj had given her the Gil, she hadn't asked how he'd gotten it, since he didn't have a job, she didn't think she'd want to know, and he hadn't offered to tell her.

"To please your boyfriend, hmm?" the shop keeper said.

"What?" Lexi looked up, pausing for a moment.

The woman smiled a little, "I saw the two of you come in," she explained.

"Oh, yeah," Lexi said.

The woman cast a glance to the store front windows, through which Kadaj could be seen pacing a little farther down the street. "I'd be careful though lass, seems to me he might be the jealous type," she said, taking the Gil from Lexi.

"I know, I mean, I will," Lexi said, remembering to be polite, "Thank you for the advice."

With that she walked out of the store, stepping back out onto the streets of Edge. She turned in the direction which she'd seen Kadaj, watching as he suddenly turned back to her, some how knowing she was there. He let her walk to him as he looked her up and down. His intense gaze made her blush a little but she ducked her head to hide it.

"You look beautiful," he said, slipping his fingers under her chin and tilting her face up.

"Does that really surprise you?" she asked.

"No," he said, before lowering his head to kiss her.

Drawing back, he slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her possessively close to his side. They started off down the street, not wavering in their path. They forced everyone else to move around them. Or face Kadaj's glare. It wasn't long before Lexi's curiosity about some thing grew until she couldn't keep it silent any more. She didn't know why she was thinking of this now; it was just one of those random things.

"I…have a question," she said, a little hesitant, "If I may."

"What is it?" he said, meaning for her to continue.

"…About…Mother," she started.

"That matter doesn't concern you," he interrupted.

"But-" she started again.

"No," he cut her off once more.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask," she said.

"It doesn't matter," he said flatly.

"Fine," she said after a second, a little miffed, and turned her head to the side.

They walked in silence for a few moments, and she told herself that she'd have to remember how stubborn he was.

"You're mad at me now," Kadaj said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Is it that obvious?" She said, but already her anger was starting to fade.

"Don't be that way," he said.

"What way?" she questioned, turning her head to gaze at him.

"Sarcastic," he said.

It was than that some one heading in the opposite direction half walked into him, causing her to stumble a little.

"Can't you people watch where you are walking?" he snapped.

"Hey!" came the start of an indignant reply, "Why don't _you_-hey!"

Lexi frowned a little, thinking that she knew that voice, and turned her head to get a better look. Her first impression had been right; it was Reno. And of course Rude was with him. Some how she just knew that trouble was going to start. She hated it some times when she was right.

"You're…you're the bastard who…" Reno didn't finish, but it seemed he didn't have to; Kadaj knew what he meant.

"More Turks," Kadaj said, lowering his arm from around Lexi's shoulders and giving her a slight push.

She understood that he meant for her to get away, but she found that she couldn't leave him, and only took a couple of steps back.

"It's a shame your friends didn't share what they knew," he continued, a purely evil glint in his eyes, "Perhaps they wouldn't have had to suffer so."

"Why you-" Reno began angrily, starting towards him.

The double clicking of guns cocking stopped him and drew his attention past Kadaj. It was also at that moment that an arm wrapped around Lexi's waist, pulling her back and to the side. Turning her head, she saw both Yazoo and Loz with their guns aimed at the two Turks. It had been Yazoo who pulled her aside, and his hand still remained protectively on her hip.

"Looks like you're out numbered," Kadaj said with a smirk.

Of course Reno could see this, but he still didn't seem ready to back down.

"Next time," Kadaj said, starting to back towards Lexi, "For now, why don't you get to know my brothers." With that, he turned, and sauntered past Yazoo, catching Lexi by the hand as he passed her.

"Will they be alright?" she asked with a slight frown, looking back over her shoulder as he pulled her towards his motorcycle.

"They'll be fine," he replied, "If you're going to worry about anyone, you should worry about those Turks."

He only looked back once as the sound of gunfire started before mounting his bike and pausing for her. She slid on behind him, barely having time to grab the back of his leather coat before he took off down the street. She linked her arms tightly around his waist and lowered her head to his shoulder, closing her eyes. They were about halfway back to the Sleeping Forest when Yazoo and Loz caught up to them, though they had a bit of difficulty, because Kadaj still drove too fast. At least, in her opinion.


	6. Falling Apart

**A/N: **Wow, I'm so glad everyone likes my story so much. Makes me happy to know my fics are appreciated. : ) Yeah, bleh, work. I'd rather take Lexi's place, lol. No school work, no adults to listen to you. Just a fantasy world and a bunch of hot guys. Lol. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Violence!!

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**Chapter Six "Falling Apart"**

Her head spinning from that afternoon's events, Lexi sat up in the tower room, gazing out the window. She supposed that things could have gone worse at Edge, a lot worse, but it also made her remember all the things Kadaj had done. And was capable of doing. Those facts had conveniently slipped from her mind, until now. Shaking her head slowly, she ran a hand through her now dry and very wind tousled blonde hair. Standing, she stretched her arms over her head. Leaning her forehead against the glass, she watched the sun sinking below the trees, alighting them momentarily gold instead of their usual pure white. She heard footsteps behind her and started to turn, but a pair of arms slid around her waist. She frowned a little, but the frown faded as a light kiss was laid to the side of her neck. She assumed it was Kadaj. Until he spoke.

"I like your new style," he purred in his velvet voice.

"Yazoo!" she exclaimed, pulling away and turning.

"Who did you think it was?" he teased.

She took a step back, but bumped into the window, having forgotten it was so close. "I…" she started, but the rest of her words died in her throat.

"I was hoping you would forgive me for yesterday. I didn't mean to upset you," he said, brushing a stray lock of her hair back from her face.

She tried again to speak, but failed; how was she supposed to tell him about…? She shook her head slowly.

"You can't stay mad forever," he said, bowing his head until he was gazing at her through a veil of silver hair.

Any other time that look would have melted her into a series of mindless babbling, but not now. Now, she wanted to tell him; how did he know that? He didn't know her, she didn't know him! She'd only been here for three days. Only that long? To her it felt like much longer.

"Y-Yazoo," she managed, averting her eyes, "It's…not you." She slipped away and walked to the opposite side of the room.

With a puzzled sigh, he turned. "Than what is it?" he asked.

"I…It's…" she stopped, blinking at the wall for a moment before turning to him. She knew that something bad was going to come of this, but it would be even worse if she didn't tell him. "…Kadaj…"

For a moment, he frowned, than he realized what she meant. "Him? _Him_…" he repeated, "Over me?"

She took a step back, "Please…understand," she started. The anger starting in his eyes scared her.

"You are alone with him for a few _hours_ and he…" the rest of his words faded off into a growl as he swept from the room, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Yazoo!" she called after him, starting down the stairs as well.

He didn't even pause, and she had to struggle to keep up.

"Yazoo, please!" she said again, trying but failing to match his stride.

Outside, Kadaj was by the spring, absently tossing in small pebbles.

"How dare you, brother," Yazoo said angrily.

Startled, Kadaj looked up, standing. "What are you talking about?" he asked with a frown. His gaze flickered to Lexi, and perhaps he saw her expression, or how pale she was.

"You knew how I felt and _still_ you…" Yazoo shook his head, stopping a few yards from his brother.

Kadaj finally seemed to understand, "This is about-" he looked to Lexi again, who had warily stopped even farther away from them, "You made no claims to her-" he began.

"But you knew; it was obvious," Yazoo interrupted.

"Of course it was obvious," Kadaj snapped, a hint of jealousy in his tone, "The way you kept standing up for her? The way you looked at her? Why do you think I left her to you?"

"Than why?" Yazoo demanded.

"You had your chance," his younger brother said, "Now she's mine."

Lexi stood watching them with wide eyes, a little hurt, along with being afraid. They were talking about her almost as if she were some inanimate object for one to own, not a living, thinking person. She'd had never imagined that she'd be standing here, watching this scene unfold before her. Had never _wanted_ to think that this could possibly be happening.

"But I had her first," Yazoo said quietly. His tone was oddly calm, and that somehow made it worse. He drew Velvet Nightmare from his side and leveled it at his brother, "Can't you understand that?"

Kadaj appeared genuinely surprised. "Yazoo…" he started.

"I had her first," he said again, "And you had no right to take her."

And then he fired. Lexi jumped as if _she_ had been shot, her heart racing faster than it seemed humanly possible. She watched with fearful eyes as Kadaj easily dodged to the side. Even from this distance, she could see his hurt expression, as if he couldn't believe that his own brother had just shot at him-with the intention to wound him if not worse. But in a second, that had faded to anger, and he drew Souba. Yazoo shot at him again, and again he dodged, starting towards him now.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Lexi shouted at them, but they paid her no attention.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Loz emerge from around the side of the Capital, saw his eyes widen at the sight of his brothers fighting each other. He started towards them, hesitating for a second, possibly because he didn't want to get shot accidentally. But than he jumped between them, or tried to, to separate them. It was a failed attempt, but he tried again.

"Stop it!" She shouted again, tears pricking her eyes and threatening to fall. "I'm not either of yours!" her voice rose till it was almost a scream.

She hoped to catch their attention, make them stop, something, anything. Nothing came of her words; it was as if she were invisible standing there. She saw one of Yazoo's shots graze Kadaj's cheek, drawing blood, and saw the latter's eyes widen slightly at this in surprise. She took a step back, almost tripping, and shook her head, tears blurring her vision. She couldn't stand it any more, unable to do anything, just watching them all fight. She just couldn't. She turned, started blindly off into the Forest. She didn't know where she was going; she just…couldn't watch them anymore.

Everything was falling apart, going to hell. Just when things had been getting better. Behind her, she could hear Loz shouting at them to stop, but from the sounds of things, they weren't listening to him either. With a cry of rage and sorrow she spun, slamming her fist into one of the pearly white tree trunks. Pain shot up her arm and the bark tore the skin on her knuckles. Stumbling, she still continued walking, not really feeling the pain at all. She knew she would later though, and would regret it, but now she didn't care. It had made her feel a little better at least. Only a little, not enough. She didn't know how deep into the woods she went, or in what direction, she just knew that she continued until she couldn't hear the gunfire or their shouting any more.

She had never had any one fight over her before, had never even seen a fight before. It seemed that a lot of things she'd never experienced before were happening now. Unfair, cruel world that it was-and it wasn't even her world! Back home guys would just have fist fights; they didn't have swords or guns. But she wasn't back home, she told herself bitterly, this was her reality now and she was going to have to deal with it. Eventually, she stopped. Half because she was utterly out of breath and half because her legs were shaking so bad she didn't think she could continue. She leaned against a tree, raising a shaking hand to wipe away the tears that had made silent tracks down her face. As she did this, she happened to glance at the back of her hand and saw that it was streaked with blood from her torn knuckles. She could feel it stinging now.

Suddenly, she became aware of footsteps heading towards her, twigs snapping under foot and brush being shoved aside. Some one who, like her, wasn't bothering to be quiet. This some one turned out to be Kadaj, and as she watched him approaching, she thought that he seemed exhausted. He was limping slightly, there was blood in his silver hair, along with dried blood streaked down the side of his face, and there was a bruise darkening over his other cheek.

"There you are," he said, and if she'd thought he'd be glad to find her, she was wrong. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he growled. He grabbed her by the shoulders and roughly pushed her back against the tree.

She winced a little. "I…after everything…" she started, voice trembling.

Before she could finish, he back handed her across the face. Her head rocked back, and she thought she could almost feel her teeth rattle as a metallic tang filled her mouth. He had released her, and she slid sideways, falling to the ground. Pushing herself up on one hand, she raised the other to her face, where both her cheek and lip had split and were now bleeding. When she touched the cuts, pain throbbed and she grimaced a little. She half raised her gaze to him, stunned by the blow, and found that she couldn't meet his eyes.

"You can never leave," he snapped, "You're mine, I won't let you leave."

His eyes were wild with anger, and she had to admit to herself that right now she was terrified of him.

"K-Kadaj?" she said, tears blurring her vision once more.

"What?" he said mockingly, "Are you going to cry now? You're pathetic."

"I can't believe you!" Lexi burst, stung by his words, "How can…how can you act like this?"

He didn't reply as he continued to gaze down at her for a moment more. Than with a growl he spun and started off through the woods again.

"You're just…" she started, gazing after him from where she lay, "Just going to leave me?"

He didn't stop.

"Fine!" she said angrily through her tears, trying to get to her feet, "Fuck you." The words were out of her mouth before she even realized it.

At this he turned again, stalked back over to her. In an instant, he reached down, grabbed her by the neck, and dragged her to her feet. "What did you say?" he demanded, slamming her back against the tree.

"I…I didn't mean…" she managed.

"Don't you dare ever speak to me that way again," he said.

"Kadaj," she whimpered, pulling at his hand. She couldn't breathe; he was choking her.

But then he suddenly let her go, and she slid to the ground, gasping in air. She kept her head bent, gazing at the forest floor, as she heard him turn and walk away. Fresh tears came to her eyes again as she scrambled unsteadily to her feet. She turned back to the direction she'd been headed and kept going. If he expected her to come back _now_, he was wrong. She'd thought that he… And now everything was falling apart. Her foot caught on a vine, twisting her ankle, and she fell. Somewhat ignoring the throbbing that said she'd possibly sprained her ankle, she drew her knees up to her chest, lowered her head to her hands, and cried.


	7. Coming Together

A/N: Wow, thank you for such kind reviews : ) And now, for the chapter that will finally decide if this is a fic with a Lexi/Yazoo pairing, or a Lexi/Kadaj pairing… -coughs- and tenderness from Yazoo…? Expect none…

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**Chapter Seven "Coming Together"**

When her eyes fluttered open, Lexi wasn't quite sure what had awakened her. She lay curled up on her side with her back to a large boulder in the tall grass that surrounded the pond she had found sometime during the night. Blinking, she sniffled a little. Gazing around, she saw that it was early morning, the sun barely rising. The surface of the pond rippled in a gentle breeze that caused the grass to tickle her face. Slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, wincing as pain shot through her ankle again. Without even looking she knew that the side of her face was bruised and puffy, and the cuts hurt like hell. Her neck was tender and she was pretty sure that was bruised as well. Leaning her head back on the boulder, the tall grass up to her shoulders, she wondered what had awakened her; the forest was completely silent. Than she heard a voice.

"Lexi! Lex!"

She froze, not that she had been moving before that, her eyes darting from side to side. So he had finally decided to come back for her. Well, it was a little late now, and she wasn't so sure that she wanted him to find her. She slid down on her side again, pretty sure the swaying blades of tall grass hid her from immediate sight. He was close, somewhere behind her. She couldn't hear his footsteps, but she usually never did anyway. Tears came to her eyes again as she remembered the previous evening, and she wiped them away with her uninjured hand.

"Lex…I know you're here somewhere. Please…"

He seemed to be almost right on the other side of the boulder now, and she thought that he sounded kind of worried. She remained silent, drawing her knees carefully up to her chest and trembling a little. She heard him sigh. For a few long moments, all was silent again, and she started to think that maybe he had moved on.

"I just…want to tell her that I'm sorry. If she'll even listen to me…"

She frowned a little; was he talking to himself? Had to be; he wasn't acting like he knew she was there.

"I was just so angry at Yazoo… I should have never taken it out on her as well," he said slowly, sounding some what depressed. "It's not her fault that he's a jealous bastard."

She blinked, not really seeing the blades of grass that swayed before her face as she listened to him.

"I never meant to hit her. She probably hates me now. Like everybody does." He said bitterly, "But she's…special. I thought she accepted me. Loved me even."

A pebble suddenly hit the surface of the pond with a splash and she flinched.

"I'm such a stupid jerk," he sighed, "Only a remnant."

Another pebble sank into the water.

She had never heard him talk like this before, to anyone. Maybe he really didn't know she was there.

"I hope she can ever forgive me. Give me a second chance." He said quietly. "What do you think? Could you Lex?"

Her eyes widened and she rolled over. Startled, she quickly sat up when she saw Kadaj sitting on the boulder, watching her with sad eyes while he rested his chin on his knees. He slid down to sit beside her and she moved away a little, keeping some space between them.

"I didn't think you would give me the chance to explain," he said.

"You h-hurt me, how am I ever supposed to t-trust you again?" she whispered, drawing her knees up to her chest and linking her arms around her legs, curling up as small as possible.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, reaching out to her.

She flinched away, but he persisted, gently stroking the side of her face. She trembled beneath his touch.

"It's not that…easy," she said.

"Than tell me what to do. To make it up to you," Kadaj said.

"I don't…I just want…" she shook her head. She wanted to go home. She wanted him. She wanted things to be back to the way they'd been the other morning, before everything. "I don't know…if I can forgive you." She whispered. Tears were blurring her vision again, and she tried to fight them back.

"Please." He slid closer to her, and she tried to move away, but he stopped her.

He put an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her into his lap. At first, she tried to push him away, but her hands shook too badly, and it was a feeble attempt. He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her tight, but carefully. She had no other choice but to let him, and really, despite how scared she still was of him, she wanted him to. She hid her face against his chest, her tears starting to fall silently now.

"I want to forgive you but I can't," she whispered.

"I promise that I will never hurt you…again," he said softly.

She didn't respond for a long moment, letting her tears fall until she felt that she couldn't cry anymore, and took a shaky deep breath. "I'm afraid to trust you," she admitted, half hoping that she spoke it too softly for him to hear. But he did.

He pushed her back a little so he could look her in the eye. "I'm so sorry," he said.

Keeping one hand on her back, he brushed his other lightly down her neck. She involuntarily flinched again, and averted her gaze. He pulled her close again, not speaking, and she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. For a long moment they sat in silence, her breathing slowing to normal, but her pounding heart refusing to follow.

"Are you…ready to go back to the Capital?" he asked softly.

Her only movement was to shake her head. "What about…?" she didn't finish but she didn't have to.

"He's not mad at you, only me," he replied, "Perhaps Loz managed to talk some sense into him though."

He was quiet again for a moment. "I've never seen him quite this upset; he must _really_ care for you. But he's never met anyone like you…"

"There's nothing special about me," she protested quietly, sniffling a little.

"Sure there is," he said, "You're the first person who isn't judging us when you look at as…when you talk to us."

He said 'us', but she knew he meant more specifically himself; no, she didn't judge him.

"You almost act as if you've met us before…though you never have," Kadaj said, "There _is_ something special about you."

"Its acceptance," she spoke softly into his shoulder, "I accept who you are." _Most of the time…_

"Can you _truly_ accept me?" he asked after a moment.

Could she? She wanted to. "My heart does," she replied slowly. _But is that enough?_

-------------

Kadaj ended up carrying Lexi back to the Capital, due to her ankle. He'd told her that when they'd returned, he could heal her with Materia. When they reached the Forgotten Capital, neither Yazoo nor Loz were anywhere in sight, which was fine with her. She knew they were probably still there though. Even though she wasn't a complete cripple and could walk on her own, just not very well, she didn't complain when he carried her up the stairs to the tower room as well. And she certainly didn't complain when he helped her take off her boots to see how bad her ankle was.

She watched with silent fascination as he used the Materia to heal her injuries. Of course she had never seen real Materia before, real magic, and it succeeded in capturing her attention almost as much as he had. While she marveled at how her injuries just faded away, taking the pain with them, this was nothing new to him. Long shadows cast across the room now through the window, as it was steadily becoming evening. The day had gone by so fast, and for some reason, the closeness of the night worried her. She couldn't say just why.

Sliding off of the bed, she moved over to the window, raising a hand to the panes of glass as she gazed out. It was already dark in the forest, with just the last rays of the fading sun touching the tops of the bare white trees and turning them golden. The odd feeling that had fell over her persisted, and as she gazed out the window, the thought that she'd never see another sun set here wormed into her mind. And scared her. When Kadaj came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, she welcomed his touch, despite that she was still a little uneasy. But now there was something different that made her feel worried.

"What's bothering you now?" he asked softly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I…I'm not sure," she replied honestly, sliding her hands over his and tangling their fingers together, "I just…have a bad feeling. Like something's going to happen."

"Worse than what has _already_ happened?" he said lightly.

"Different than that," she said, frowning a little. "I just…"

"Nothing's going to happen," he assured her.

He said it so easily, and she wanted to believe him, but nothing was ever easy; not here, or the real world. "You sound so sure," she said softly.

"Because I am," he replied, "Now stop worrying."

He freed his hands from hers, and turned her around to face him. Sliding his fingers under her chin, he tilted her head up before kissing her. For a moment, she was surprised, but then just as quickly, the emotion faded. She kissed him back, tilting her head to the side as his hair lightly swept her face. He trailed his hands up and down her sides, and a shiver ran down her spine at his touch. Leaning more into the kiss, she hooked her arms around his neck. He moved his hands lower, to the backs of her thighs, and then suddenly lifted her, resting her weight on his hips. It was like this that he carried her to the bed and laid her back.

Continuing to kiss her, his hands trailed to the strap across her stomach, and his fingers nimbly unhooked it. She shivered slightly at this, and his response was to kiss her more deeply, gently sliding his tongue into her mouth. This action sent a jolt through her, but she didn't protest, she let his tongue explore her mouth as his hands traced over her chest to the buckles there. A tingle raced up and down her spine at his touch, spreading over her skin. He seemed to pause for a moment, as if seeing her reaction to this. She had no reaction other than to close her eyes tightly and let him continue with what he was doing. And continue he did. In a few seconds, he had undone both of these buckles and loosened the ties on the front of her top.

He pulled back from the kiss to tug her top up, over her head, and she complied. The undone buckles and the buckles on the sleeves clinked against each other with a faintly metallic ringing as he tossed her top aside, where it fell in a heap on the floor. A sudden terrible shiver over came her at this, and she opened her eyes again. He was gazing at her, and the expression in his eyes somewhat surprised her, and reassured her; lustful, but gentle. That expression eased her shivering, and as he traced a hand softly down the side of her face, she smiled a little. It was a gesture he returned, and leaned in to kiss her again. And it was now with trembling fingers that she reached out to start and undo the straps around his thighs that secured his jacket there.


	8. Peace Never Lasts

A/N: Hehe, thanks as always for such nice reviews : ) Yeah…I suppose Lexi could be unlikable in some ways ; she's supposed to be based on me, and I know I'm unlikable in some ways. Yeah, anyway –coughs- it WAS supposed to be a threesome…but I couldn't see the brothers going for that…they don't seem like the sharing type…and Lexi isn't the type to be shared…Anyway, again, here's the next chapter. And I haven't decided yet, but the next chapter will either be the end of the fic-full of sadness-or maybe I'll continue it, but I'm leaning towards the first option.

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**Chapter Eight "Peace Never Lasts"**

Lexi awoke from her peaceful sleep with a start, eyes reluctantly opening, confused as to wait had caused her to wake up. She just wanted to sleep, so exhausted, but safe in Kadaj's arms as he slept beside her. As she lay there in silence, she frowned a little. Unable to figure out what had awakened her, she snuggled closer against his side and let her eyes slide closed once more. But sleep refused to overtake her again, and she was left alone with her thoughts. Her precious Kadaj. He wasn't as much of a boy as she had thought-not with the events of a few hours past. But he was so young. She found herself gazing at him in the dark, studying the peaceful expression on his beautiful face, tracing the curves of his lips with her eyes. A small smile tugged at the corners of her own lips but faded when his peaceful expression tuned troubled. A frown crossed his face and she felt a tremor run through his body. He whimpered softly. Was he having a nightmare?

"Kadaj," she whispered his name.

He stirred at the sound of her voice, but didn't open his eyes. She must have awakened him though, because he rolled over and buried his face against her neck, pulling her closer. Even though that was really impossible, since he was laying mostly on top of her now. She felt him tremble again, and slowly began to run a hand through his hair.

"It's alright…" she said softly, "It's…just a dream."

After a moment, he shook his head a little. "They're…never just dreams," he replied, voice even quieter.

Frowning a little, she continued stroking his hair, but didn't say anything. What did he mean?

"They're always…memories. That I've tried so hard to forget, but I just can't," Kadaj said.

Memories? A chill swept over her, what memories haunted his sleep? She could guess that it probably had something to do with Shin-Ra.

"Yes," he whispered.

For a moment she was startled, than she remembered that he could read her thoughts.

"Don't ask me about it."

"I won't," she replied softly.

"Thank you," he said.

And than, as she continued to stroke his hair and gaze up at the ceiling through the darkness, there was silence. After a few moments, she could tell from how his breathing evened out that he'd fallen back to sleep. She hoped it was a peaceful rest this time, with out his dreams being plagued by things that ShinRa had done to him and his brothers in the past. To be honest, she didn't know what kind of things ShinRa had done…and she didn't want to. She wished she could fall back to sleep as well, but her eyes seemed to refuse to remain closed.

---------------

She awoke to kisses being trailed up her stomach. She refused to open her eyes though; after having trouble getting back to sleep last night, she just wanted to continue sleeping. Maybe she _was_ asleep, and she was dreaming. Kisses along her neck now, the weight of a slight frame on top of her as he straddled her hips. She moaned softly, her eyes fluttering open a little bit. Sunlight was streaming through the window, stinging her eyes and causing her to promptly close them again.

"Good morning," he said softly in her ear.

She gave a mumbled 'morning' before trying to roll over, away from the window, only to remember that he was sitting on top of her and she couldn't move. "Off," she muttered, "The sun; it's bright."

"That's your problem, for sleeping so late," he said teasingly, slowly kissing her neck again.

"After you?" she said with a pleasant shiver, reaching blindly for the sheet to pull it up over her face.

He stopped her by gently grabbing her wrists. "It's not like you hated it," he said.

She smiled a little; he was right. As usual. Blinking a couple of times now that she was more awake, she managed to open her eyes and keep them open. He was gazing at her with a devious smirk, his silver hair hanging down over his eyes. He leaned down to kiss her again, and slid his tongue into her mouth. As before, she let him, and he began to trace his tongue against the roof of her mouth in a way that sent a feeling of butterflies through her stomach. He traced his fingers down her sides, across her stomach, and a wave of tingles followed his touch. He kissed down her jaw line, across the side of her neck, and she tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes.

He softly nipped her neck with his sharp teeth, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to send a different kind of shiver down her spine. He trailed his hands softly down the insides of her thighs, his fingers teasing, and she uttered a soft moan. She could feel him against her, could tell exactly what was on his mind. Again, after last night. But of course, and if she hadn't been so exhausted, she wouldn't have had any qualms with the idea.

"Kadaj…" she said softly, her voice more of a soft sigh as his hands continued their path back up her stomach now.

"Hmm?" he responded, pausing only for a second in kissing the side of her neck.

"…You have a one track mind…" She continued, pausing for a moment as she shivered again.

"Are you complaining?" he asked, and she could just imagine the kind of smirk that was on his face.

"I told you…I'm exhausted…" she replied.

"Even for me?"

"_Because_ of you," she said.

"You are just too easy to wear out," he shot back, softly nipping her neck again.

"Am not…" she protested, but it was a soft protest. "Come on," she added, "Get off."

"Why should I?" he said softly into her ear, his breath and hair tickling her skin.

"…Because I said so," she replied, "And you don't want me to be grumpy again, do you?"

He pulled back to look down at her, and the pout on his face reminded her of a small child, made her smile a little bit. "If you say so," he said, leaning down to kiss her one last time before, however reluctantly, getting off of her.

----------------

When she came downstairs later after Kadaj, every thing was silent. She was still a little hesitant, with what had happened. But as she neared the bottom of the staircase, she could almost feel the tension in the air, like something was wrong. She emerged from the stairs into the main room to see Yazoo in one corner and Kadaj near the entrance. Loz stood at the corner of the room opposite Yazoo. At first the scene appeared casual, until Lexi noticed Loz looking somewhat fearfully from one brother to the other. And a moment after that she saw why.

Yazoo was glaring at Kadaj, who appeared to be ignoring him, but really wasn't. Yazoo turned to look over at her a little, and she saw the twin slashes that ran across the side of his face. Proof of his earlier fight with his youngest brother. She had hoped that he wouldn't be so angry anymore, but she got the impression that he still was. She sighed a little, a bit worried. She hoped they wouldn't fight again-especially since it was because of her. She threw a glance over at Loz, only to see that he was glaring at her. For a moment she was baffled as to why, but than realized that he must blame her for his brothers' fight. And why shouldn't he? It _was _her fault after all.

She continued to just stand there at the foot of the stairs looking to each brother in turn until Kadaj beckoned her over to him. And even for a moment after that, she didn't move. Then, cautiously, she started across the room. But she'd scarcely made it over to him when she caught a blur of motion from the corner of her eye and a shadow fell across her. She only had a chance to start to turn when Yazoo shoved her out of the way. The motion and the force behind it caught her off guard and she fell back, landing awkwardly and hitting her shoulder and head against the wall as she did so. Disorientated, and with pain shooting through her shoulder, she raised her head, trying to assess the situation that had suddenly erupted. Apparently the feud between the brothers wasn't over with yet…


	9. The Bloody End

A/N: I'm sooo sorry it took me forever to update this fic. First school, than an uploading glitch.

So, yes, this is the end, the last chapter. I was going to continue it further, but this ending is how I originally planned it through, and I thought it fit the best, so I stuck with it. Part of the reason it took me forever to update, I was indecisive. Thank you to every one who reviewed and enjoyed this story, and I hope that this last chapter, although sad, does not disappoint.

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**Chapter Nine **

"**The Bloody End"**

Lexi struggled to get to her feet as she watched Yazoo and Kadaj with frightened eyes. She was afraid to think of what might happen next. And some where, along with all of these thoughts, she wondered where Loz was. She swept her gaze around the main room of the capital, but didn't see him. Leaning back against the wall with one hand over her shoulder where Yazoo had shoved her, she turned her attention back to the two brothers. Yazoo had grabbed Kadaj by the neck and now held the youngest brother suspended in air as Kadaj tried to pull free Yazoo's hands.

"Why must you insist on continuing this game?" Yazoo said in a low and dangerous tone, glaring at his brother.

Kadaj gazed back at him with wide eyes, not seeming to comprehend what he meant. "Brother, what the hell are you talking about?" he managed.

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Kadaj," Yazoo replied.

"I haven't a clue brother," The younger insisted, still struggling to pull himself free. "Release me," he continued, a hint of arrogance creeping back into his voice, "And we can discuss this."

But Yazoo wasn't listening, instead he gave Kadaj a little shake, lifting him higher, "Stop this façade," he said quietly, "I know you do not love her as you pretend."

As these words, Lexi's eyes widened, and she felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. She couldn't breathe as she turned her gaze from Yazoo to Kadaj. Kadaj, who saw her expression and started to speak. No…this couldn't be, right? He loved her, didn't he? Tears filling her eyes, she didn't stand there a second longer; instead she bolted from the Capital, almost slipping and falling in the process. She heard Kadaj try to call after her, but she paid him no heed. She also didn't see the cruel smirk that crossed Yazoo's face as he saw the rift he'd created.

She made a swift path around the spring, intending to head through the Sleeping Forest and get as far away from here as possible. But it was than that the sound of an engine drifted towards her, and a head light illuminated the path ahead of her, blindingly bright and causing her to throw an arm across her face to shield her eyes. Her heart began to pound faster as she thought of all the possible people who could be coming into the Forest…especially on a motorcycle. She ended up with only one: Cloud.

No…no…this wasn't good, not at all. Her breath hitching in her chest, she turned and started to run back the way she'd come. She had to warn them, had to warn and Kadaj and his brothers. But she'd almost reached the spring again, with Cloud gaining swiftly behind her, when suddenly three figures dropped down from the trees above her. She didn't know how they'd gotten there so fast, but she really didn't care as to how. Kadaj wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her out of the way as Yazoo and Loz, standing side-by-side, raised their twin Velvet Nightmares and opened fire on Cloud.

Kadaj pulled her all the way around to the side of one of the pearly white trees, holding her there protectively. He only peered around the trunk to see how the battle was going, than returned his attention to her. Despite the fact that her heart was jumping with his close presence, she turned her eyes to the forest floor, refusing to look at him, and her vision blurred all the more with tears.

"Lex," he said softly, sliding one hand under her chin and tilting her head up.

After a few moments, she finally raised her eyes and looked at him, seeing for the first time his concerned, bewildered expression.

"Lex…" he repeated, "You have to know that Yazoo's just jealous. It isn't true what he said."

She didn't answer, and she also found herself unable to look away from his incredible cat's eyes.

He gently brushed her tears away as they fell, his gloved fingers soft as butterfly kisses against her cheeks. "Lex," he whispered, "Please…"

Gazing at him for another long moment, the sound of gunfire and clashing metal off somewhere behind her causing her to flinch every now and then, she made up her mind. Or she thought she did. Suddenly moving, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. Holding her tight for a moment, he kissed the top of her head. Pushing her back gently, he tilted her chin up and leaned down to kiss her on the lips. Then he drew back, keeping his hands on her shoulder a moment before stepping away and drawing Souba. He started to walk away, but then paused, looking back at her over his shoulder, his silver hair sweeping lightly across his face.

"Stay here," he said, and turned again to join the fight against Cloud with his brothers.

She watched him walking away for a moment, bowing her head to look down at the forest floor. Then she suddenly looked up again, taking a step forward. "Kadaj," she called after him.

"Hm?" he stopped turned back to her.

"I love you," she said with a soft smile, wiping away another stray tear, "Be careful."

He returned her smile. "I lo-" he started.

But suddenly she caught a flash of movement behind him, and her eyes widened, "Kadaj!" she shouted.

Seeing her gaze shift to behind him, he spun, starting to bring up Souba in the process, but he wasn't fast enough. Cloud's Buster Sword knocked Souba aside and slashed down at an angle, cutting deeply into the youngest Remnant from shoulder to hip. As he fell, Lexi screamed Kadaj's name, scrambling forward and nearly tripping over her own two feet in her haste to reach him. He slid down the slight incline in the forest floor, loosing his hold on Souba in the process.

With a fury she'd never seen in them before, both Yazoo and Loz attacked Cloud in unison, driving him back away from Kadaj. Lexi knelt beside him, her heart pounding in her chest, and fresh tears blurring her vision. No, oh god no, this couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening, it just couldn't… She reached out a trembling hand to him, sliding an arm under his shoulders. God, there was so much blood. It was already pooling around him, on her hands as she touched him, staining her skin red and the forest floor around them black.

"Kadaj," she whispered, raising her other hand to his face, brushing back his silver hair from his eyes.

His gaze was unfocused, and for a moment he just blinked before finally looking up at her. She could see so many emotions reflected in his feline eyes; surprise, pain, anger and…regret… Was that what it was? The sounds of the fight echoed still in her ears, more vicious than before, but it all seemed so far away now, and it was only Kadaj that mattered to her now. Her tears were coming faster now, stinging her eyes and sliding down from her chin to fall against his leather coat, to mingle with the blood there.

"Oh god, Kadaj, I'm so sorry," she whispered, "This is all…if I hadn't…than this…it's…"

"Shh," he said quietly, raising a gloved hand gently to her cheek, "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," she protested through gritted teeth, lifting her hand to lightly cover his, "If I hadn't…" If she hadn't called him back, Cloud wouldn't have been able to sneak up on him, and this wouldn't have happened.

"Hush," he whispered, placing his thumb against her lips to silence her, "It's not your fault," he repeated.

But it WAS her fault, she wanted to say again, all of this was her fault, this right now, all the trouble she'd brought the three of them, all the ways she'd screwed up. She found herself wishing he wasn't forgiving her like this; she wanted him to be angry, angry like he should be, because it was her who was to blame now for this. But he wasn't angry, and that pained her all the more. And now, as she watched him trying and failing to blink back tears of his own, she wanted to scream and rage, she wanted to hurt Cloud for this, but she couldn't move, she couldn't leave him.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated, her words choked as she softly caressed the back of his hand.

Kadaj shook his head a little, still refusing to blame her. "I love…you…" he whispered.

"I love you too," Lexi responded, her breath hitching in her chest as she leaned down to kiss him.

Even as her lips touched his, the light was fading from his eyes, and she closed her own tightly, wishing for the hundredth time that this wasn't happening, that this was all a…bad dream… Even with her eyes closed, she could see the shadows of flickering green lights dancing about, and she felt him starting to fade away. No, no, no, it couldn't take him from her, it couldn't. She held onto him tighter, but her efforts were in vain, and within seconds, she was left sitting there on her knees alone, clutching only air.

Sobs choking her breath from her now, she sank down further, resting her head against her arms on the bloody ground before her. No…this was all her fault…why, why, why did she always screw up? Why couldn't she ever do anything right? He was…gone…now because of her and there was nothing she could do to get him back…

Silence reigned all around her now, and she knew that the fight must be over now. But who was the victorious? She found that right at that moment, overcome with sorrow as she was, she didn't care. What had mattered most to her here was gone now…and it was all her fault… Over her sobs, she heard the whisper quiet sound of footsteps, growing slightly louder as they reached her, and then paused. Then another set of footsteps, louder than the first, heavier. She knew who it was, but she didn't move, couldn't. And yet a softly resounding click that seemed magnified to her, seemed to echo back a thousand times, caught her attention and caused her to flinch a little.

Slowly, she sat up, keeping her head bowed for a long moment before finally looking up. And finding herself gazing up at the double barrels of Yazoo's Velvet Nightmare. Swallowing back a last sob, she looked up at Yazoo himself, his eyes dark and even more lost than usual. Her gaze flickered over to Loz, who stood beside and a little behind his brother. He was crying silently, and when she looked at him, he stubbornly refused to meet her gaze, looking away until she turned her attention back to Yazoo. So…this was going to be it then…was it?

"You killed him…" Yazoo said, his voice low and dead, nearly emotionless, "This is your fault."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her own voice wavering slightly as she gazed up at him.

"None of this would have happened if it were not for you," he said, "If not for you, he would be alive."

"I'm sorry," she repeated, still whispering.

"I don't care for you apology," Yazoo said coldly, "It will not change what has already happened."

She closed her eyes as he started to tighten his finger on the trigger, whispering inaudibly one last time that she was sorry. She braced herself for what she knew was coming. There was a deafening gunshot, and then-

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Lexi awoke with a shout, sitting up so fast that she fell off of her bed and landed on the floor with a muffled thump. As she lay there, panting, trembling and staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes, she couldn't figure out where she was at first. Then, as she blinked back the tears that were blurring her vision, she realized that she was home, in her room. She'd been asleep. So…that whole thing had been a dream…? Sobbing softly, not sure whether to start crying or laughing at herself, she raised her hands to her face, but suddenly stopped. Her hands…they were covered in blood.

She sat up with a gasp, noticing then what she was wearing. A black leather outfit that she most certainly had never bought before in her life…or had she… As she stared at the blood on her hands, it slowly faded out. Trembling worse than ever, she drew her legs up and hooked her arms around them, resting her forehead against her knees. Dream…or not…? The deep ache of lose in her chest just passing over into her waking moments…or was she really feeling it? Crying again, she hugged her legs tighter, and knew deep down, that it had not been a dream.

END


End file.
